Two pieces from The Times are worth consideration, as post-GCSE students plan their university careers. The first points out possible advantages in studying in the United States, for British students faced with top-up fees here in the UK. The second points out the rather different ethos in one particular American university - to put it bluntly, you have to work rather than drink! (Read the complete articles here and here.)

THOUSANDS more British students are applying to American universities as generous scholarships and top-quality facilities compete with British institutions.

With the introduction of university top-up fees in 2006, the US Education Advisory Service (USEAS) says that inquiries from British students have risen sevenfold.

America has more world-class universities than any other country, with 17 in the top 20, according to the annual table compiled by Shanghai Jiao Tong university. Britain has the next highest, with Oxford and Cambridge in the top 20.


And an extract from the second article, about someone who was Captain of Rugby at my local village school - which happens to be Millfield:

North Carolina was a struggle at first. “It’s a lot more competitive and achievement orientated than British universities,” he said. “In your first semester, you cannot even risk a C because you need to maintain an academic standard. If you’re caught drinking or using fake ID you can also lose it.”

North Carolina University, by the way, has a full Classics Department:

Welcome to the Department of Classics of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Murphey Hall is the physical center of the Department. The Department offers training in Greek, Latin, Archaeology, and Medieval Studies, as well as a range of courses in English translation. The Department currently has fourteen faculty, twenty-three graduate students in residence, and thirty-five undergraduate majors. ...

The study of Greek and Latin forms the core of all the majors. Three of the majors, Latin Greek, and the combined major in Greek and Latin focus on the study of the classical languages and literatures in their original form.